31/07/2026
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1379111767694243&set=a.420260636912699
BAYAN COUNTERS SONA LIES AND CONDEMNS POLICE VIOLENCE
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan salutes all individuals and groups who conducted protests across the country and abroad during the fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA). People’s SONA assemblies were held despite the fascist measures used by the government of Ferdinand Marcos Jr to silence critics and undermine the demand for accountability and justice.
Around 15,000 people from various sectors and groups marched and gathered in Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City to present the real state of the nation and condemn the continuing corruption, worsening poverty, and subservience of Marcos to the dictates of US imperialism.
The ‘Puppet and Puppet Master’ effigy was destroyed, symbolizing public outrage and rejection of the collusion of Marcos and the US government in intensifying US military presence and operations in the country. It also serves as an early declaration that war criminal Donald Trump is not welcome in the Philippines ahead of his visit in November.
On corruption
Marcos had to wait for SONA to announce that corruption charges will be filed against his cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. It is meant to distract attention and downplay the malicious maneuver to shield the president and his closest Palace subordinates from being held accountable for the flood control scam, anomalous allocables, and kickback delivery issue. The corruption investigations are slow, selective, and systematically diverted to obfuscate the criminal culpability of Marcos and his co-conspirators in Malacañang.
Marcos’ silence about the ongoing impeachment trial of Sara Duterte reflects his ambivalence in pursuing accountability, which actually doomed the first impeachment complaint against the vice president. He discussed the status of several initiatives of various government agencies, but no word about the importance of the impeachment trial in exacting accountability from officials who abuse their power.
He didn’t mention Zaldy Co in his speech even if he broke the news about the fugitive lawmaker’s reported arrest in Europe.
The recent SONA showed how corruption probes are held hostage by power plays, secret negotiations, and shameless plotting to evade accountability. It is a reminder that the fight is not over and more reason to assert, “lahat ng sangkot, dapat managot, simula sa Malakanyang!’
On Epira
The proposal to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 is similar to Marcos's commitment to pass a law banning political dynasties. Marcos drew praise in 2025 for endorsing the bill against political dynasties, but he never mentioned the bill in the SONA.
Amending EPIRA is not enough. We reiterate the demand for the urgent repeal of EPIRA. 25 years is more than enough time for us to conclude that this law has failed to spur competition, bring down the cost of electricity, and revitalize the energy industry. On the contrary, it enabled a few cronies and oligarchs and their corrupt backers in the bureaucracy to amass huge profits at the expense of ordinary consumers.
If Marcos were sincerely concerned about the impact of high prices, he could have used the energy emergency declaration to remove or suspend the VAT on oil, electricity, and basic goods. His stubborn refusal to remove VAT during the first quarter of the year contributed to the surge in electricity bills in May and June. He rejected the removal of regressive taxes like VAT because the government collects higher windfall revenues even if most of these funds end up in the pockets of corrupt politicians like him.
On Pax Silica
Marcos didn’t discuss the threats posed by super El Niño, which is already ravaging rural communities, because it will undermine his promotion of the US-led Pax Silica, an initiative in the so-called Luzon Economic Corridor that will drain the country’s water and energy resources.
He revives the discredited spin about the potential of foreign investments and free trade agreements in boosting jobs and local industries despite the documented legacy of underdevelopment, plunder, exploitation of cheap labor, and displacement of farmers and Indigenous Peoples caused by neoliberal policies and projects.
Pax Silica will bring more harm to the environment, enable the sell-out of our patrimony, and endanger communities because it is linked to the war production needs of the US. Marcos misleads the people by claiming that Pax Silica will create an AI industrial hub even if the agreement refers to the establishment of an “economic security zone,” which is another name for a defense complex that serves the military operations of the US and its allies.
Marcos hypocritically promotes flag nationalism by invoking the specter of foreign aggression, even if he is actively colluding with the US in escalating tension in the region by establishing bases, deploying missile systems, and converting the country into a forward operating base of the US military.
On police violence
Marcos anticipated public outrage that will greet the lies he will peddle in his SONA, which is why he deployed thousands of police around Batasan and directed security forces to impose excessive and unnecessary restrictions and suppress the people’s right to express dissent.
We condemn the arbitrary actions of the police, which conducted an arrest in the middle of the People’s SONA and indiscriminately arrested young artists accused of vandalism. The 51 arrested individuals are not guilty of any crime since they merely expressed public sentiment against soaring electricity rates and corruption. Even Marcos lambasted the overcharging of electricity rates in his SONA. The police violence further exposed its brutal tactics in dealing with protesters, and its kid-gloves treatment accorded to corrupt contractors and lawmakers, including a former police chief accused of crimes against humanity.
Bayan calls for sustained vigilance and protests to condemn the lies of Marcos, the police violence, and the slow pace and selective pursuit of accountability. We call for a heightened demand for transparency regarding the Pax Silica entanglement of the Marcos Jr. government before his lame-duck regime sells the country down the river to ride out his remaining time in office.
The unity of various formations during the People’s SONA is an inspiring reminder that our strongest weapon against impunity is our collective action. Tuloy ang laban! Makibaka, huwag matakot!
